Categorized bibliography for a conceptual model of salt marsh management on Merritt Island, Florida

Enclosed is a bibliography of 556 published articles, technical reports, theses, dissertations, and books that form the basis for a conceptual model of salt marsh management on Merritt Island, Florida (Section 1). A copy of each item is available on file at the Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Gainesville. Some relevant proprietary items and unpublished drafts have not been included pending permission of the authors. We will continue to add pertinent references to our bibliography and files. Currently, some topics are represented by very few items. As our synthesis develops, we will be able to indicate a subset of papers most pertinent to an understanding of the ecology and management of Merritt Island salt marshes. (98 page document)

Conceptual model of salt marsh management on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida: final report

Diking and holding water on salt marshes ("impounding" the marsh) is a management technique used on Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR) and elsewhere in the Southeast to: a) prevent the reproduction of saltmarsh mosquitos, and b) attract wintertering waterfowl and other marsh, shore, and wading birds. Because of concern that diking and holding water may interfere with the production of estuarine fish and shellfish, impoundment managers are being asked to consider altering management protocol to reduce or eliminate any such negative influence. How to change protocol and preserve effective mosquito control and wildlife management is a decision of great complexity because: a) the relationships between estuarine organisms and the fringing salt marshes at the land-water interface are complex, and b) impounded marshes are currently good habitat for a variety of species of fish and wildlife. Most data collection by scientists and managers in the area has not been focused on this particular problem. Furthermore, collection of needed data may not be possible before changes in protocol are demanded. Therefore, the purpose of this document is two-fold: 1) to suggest management alternatives, given existing information, and 2) to help identify research needs that have a high probability of leading to improved simultaneous management of mosquitos, waterfowl, other wildlife, freshwater fish, and estuarine fish and shellfish on the marshland of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. (92 page document)

A GIS-based model of soil erosion and transport

Soil erosion is a natural process that occurs when the force of wind, raindrops or running water on the soil surface exceeds the cohesive forces that bind the soil together. In general, vegetation cover protects the soil from the effects of these erosive forces. However, land management activities such as ploughing, burning or heavy grazing may disturb this protective layer, exposing the underlying soil. The decision making process in rural catchment management is often supported by the predictive modelling of soil erosion and sediment transport processes within the catchment, using established techniques such as the Universal Soil Loss Equation [USLE] and the Agricultural Nonpoint Source pollution model [AGNPS]. In this article, the authors examine the range of erosion models currently available and describe the application of one of these to the Burrishoole catchment on the north-west coast of Ireland, which has suffered heavy erosion of blanket peat in recent years.

A model of the pelagic ecossystem in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean

English: Recent calls for a more holistic approach to fisheries management have motivated development of trophic mass-balance models of ecosystems that underlie fisheries production. We developed a model hypothesis of the pelagic ecosystem in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) to gain insight into the relationships among the various species in the system and to explore the ecological implications of alternative methods of harvesting tunas. We represented the biomasses of and fluxes between the principal elements in the ecosystem with Ecopath, and examined the ecosystem's dynamic, time-series behavior with Ecosim. We parameterized the model for 38 species or groups of species, and described the sources, justifications, assumptions, and revisions of our estimates of the various parameters, diet relations, fisheries landings, and fisheries discards in the model. We conducted sensitivity analyses with an intermediate version of the model, for both the Ecopath mass-balance and the dynamic trajectories predicted by Ecosim. The analysis showed that changes in the basic parameters for two components at middle trophic levels, Cephalopods and Auxis spp., exert the greatest influence on the system. When the Cephalopod Q/B and Auxis spp. P/B were altered from their initial values and the model was rebalanced, the trends of the biomass trajectories predicted by Ecosim were not sensitive, but the scaling was sensitive for several components. We described the review process the model was subjected to, which included reviews by the IATTC Purse-seine Bycatch Working Group and by a working group supported by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. We fitted the model to historical time series of catches per unit of effort and mortality rates for yellowfin and bigeye tunas in simulations that incorporated historical fishing effort and a climate driver to represent the effect of El Niño-Southern Oscillation-scale variation on the system. The model was designed to evaluate the possible ecological implications of fishing for tunas in various ways. We recognize that a model cannot possibly represent all the complexity of a pelagic ocean ecosystem, but we believe that the ETP model provides insight into the structure and function of the pelagic ETP. Spanish: Llamamientos recientes hacia un enfoque más holístico al ordenamiento de la pesca han motivado el desarrollo de modelos tróficos de balance de masas de los ecosistemas que sostienen la producción pesquera. Desarrollamos una hipótesis modelo del ecosistema pelágico en el Océano Pacífico oriental tropical (POT) con miras a mejorar los conocimientos de las relaciones entre las distintas especies en el sistema y explorar las implicaciones ecológicas de métodos alternativos de capturar atunes. Con Ecopath representamos las biomasas de los elementos principales en el ecosistema, y los flujos entre los mismos, y con Ecosim examinamos el comportamiento dinámico del ecosistema con el tiempo. Parametrizamos el modelo para 38 especies o grupos de especies (denominados “componentes” del modelo), y describimos las fuentes, justificaciones, supuestos, y revisiones de nuestras estimaciones de los distintos parámetros, relaciones basadas en dieta, capturas retenidas de las pesquerías, y descartes de las mismas en el modelo. Realizamos análisis de sensibilidad con una versión intermedia del modelo, para el balance de masas de Ecopath y las trayectorias dinámicas predichas por Ecosim también. El análisis demostró que cambios en los parámetros básicos para dos componentes en niveles tróficos medianos, Cefalópodos y Auxis spp., ejercieron la mayor influencia sobre el sistema. Cuando se alteraron el Q/B de los Cefalópodos y el P/B de los Auxis spp. de sus valores iniciales y se balanceó el modelo de nuevo, las tendencias de las trayectorias de la biomasa predichas por Ecosim no fueron sensibles, pero la escala fue sensible para varios componentes. Describimos el proceso de revisión al que fue sujeto el modelo, inclusive revisiones por el Grupo de Trabajo sobre Captura Incidental de la CIAT y un grupo de trabajo apoyado por el Centro Nacional para Síntesis y Análisis Ecológicos. Ajustamos el modelo a series de tiempo históricas de capturas por unidad de esfuerzo y tasas de mortalidad de atunes aleta amarilla y patudo en simulaciones que incorporaron esfuerzo de pesca histórico e impulsos climáticos para representar el efecto de variaciones a escala de El Niño-Oscilación del Sur sobre el sistema. El modelo fue diseñado para evaluar las posibles implicaciones ecológicas de la pesca atunera de varias formas. Reconocemos la imposibilidad de que el modelo represente toda la complejidad de un ecosistema oceánico pelágico, pero creemos que el modelo del POT mejora los conocimientos de la estructura y función del POT pelágico.

Sensitivity of angler benefit estimates from a model of recreational demand to the definition of the substitute sites considered by the angler

Fishery managers are mandated to understand the effects that environmental damage, fishery regulations, and habitat improvement projects have on the net benefits that recreational anglers derive from their sport. Since 1994, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has worked to develop a consistent method for estimating net benefits through site choice models of recreational trip demand. In estimating net benefits with these models, there is a tradeoff between computational efficiency and angler behavior in reality. This article examines this tradeoff by considering the sensitivity of angler-welfare estimates for an increase in striped bass (Morone saxatalis) angling quality across choice sets with five travel distance cutoffs and compares those estimates to a model with an unrestricted choice set. This article shows that 95% confidence intervals for welfare estimates of an increase in the striped bass catch and keep rate overlap for all distance-based choice sets specified here.

An exploratory ecosystem model of the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem

The study's aim was to develop and ecosystem model of the Bay of Bengal built with Ecopath and Ecoism software.The Ecopath model was built to represent 1978 and synthesise available population dynamics and fisheries data. A preliminary Ecoism was set up to explore interactions between functional groups and the impact of fishing.

An exploratory ecosystem model of the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem

The study's aim was to develop and ecosystem model of the Bay of Bengal built with Ecopath and Ecoism software.The Ecopath model was built to represent 1978 and synthesise available population dynamics and fisheries data. A preliminary Ecoism was set up to explore interactions between functional groups and the impact of fishing.

A proposal for sea otter protection and research and request for the return of management to the State of California

v.1 - Text and Summaries (272 page document)

Phase II Low Intensity Chemical Dosing (LICD): Development of Management Practices

(pdf contains 265 pages)

Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of management strategies and regulations of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary by commercial fishers, dive operators, and environmental group members: A baseline characterization and 10-year comparison

This research is part of the Socioeconomic Research & Monitoring Program for the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS), which was initiated in 1998. In 1995-96, a baseline study on the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of proposed FKNMS management strategies and regulations of commercial fishers, dive operators and on selected environmental group members was conducted by researchers at the University of Florida and the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Atmospheric and Marine Science (RSMAS). The baseline study was funded by the U.S. Man and the Biosphere Program, and components of the study were published by Florida Sea Grant and in several peer reviewed journals. The study was accepted into the Socioeconomic Research & Monitoring Program at a workshop to design the program in 1998, and workshop participants recommended that the study be replicated every ten years. The 10-year replication was conducted in 2004-05 (commercial fishers) 2006 (dive operators) and 2007 (environmental group members) by the same researchers at RSMAS, while the University of Florida researchers were replaced by Thomas J. Murray & Associates, Inc., which conducted the commercial fishing panels in the FKNMS. The 10-year replication study was funded by NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program. The study not only makes 10-year comparisons in the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of FKNMS management strategies and regulations, but it also establishes new baselines for future monitoring efforts. Things change, and following the principles of “adaptive management”, management has responded with changes in the management plan strategies and regulations. Some of the management strategies and regulations that were being proposed at the time of the baseline 1995-96 study were changed before the management plan and regulations went into effect in July 1997. This was especially true for the main focus of the study which was the various types of marine zones in the draft and final zoning action plan. Some of the zones proposed were changed significantly and subsequently new zones have been created. This study includes 10-year comparisons of socioeconomic/demographic profiles of each user group; sources and usefulness of information; knowledge of purposes of FKNMS zones; perceived beneficiaries of the FKNMS zones; views on FKNMS processes to develop management strategies and regulations; views on FKNMS zone outcomes; views on FKNMS performance; and general support for FKNMS. In addition to new baseline information on FKNMS zones, new baseline information was developed for spatial use, investment and costs-and-earnings for commercial fishers and dive operators, and views on resource conditions for all three user groups. Statistical tests were done to detect significant changes in both the distribution of responses to questions and changes in mean scores for items replicated over the 10-year period. (PDF has 143 pages.)

TUNPOP, a computer simulation model of the yellowfin tuna population and the surface tuna fishery of the Eastern Pacific Ocean

ENGLISH: Mathematical documentation of TUNP0P, an age-structured computer simulation model of the yellowfin tuna population and surface tuna fishery of the eastern Pacific Ocean, is described. Example runs of the model are presented and discussed, and the sensitivity of the model output to changes in various parameters is examined. SPANISH: Se describe la documentación matemática de TUNP0P, un modelo computador de simulación basado en la edad de la población del atún aleta amarilla y de la pesca atunera epipelágíca del Océano Pacífico oriental. Se presentan y se discuten ejemplos de las pasadas del modelo, y se examina la sensibilidad de los resultados de salida con relación a los cambios de varios parámetros. (PDF contains 47 pages.)

A simulation model of the dynamics of Peruvian anchoveta (Engraulis ringens)

The article describes the key elements of a model simulating the dynamics of the anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) in the Peruvian upwelling system (4 degrees to 14 degrees South). This model, based on coupled differential equations, is parametrized mainly using empirical data and functional relationships presented in two volumes issued by ICLARM in 1987 and 1989, and may thus be viewed as test of the hypotheses presented therein. Results to date suggest that present knowledge of mechanisms controlling the anchoveta stock is essentially consistent, and sufficient to build a model reflecting essential features of the stock biomass and recruitment dynamics.

Restricted Access vs. Open Access Methods of Management: Toward More Effective Regulation of Fishing Effort

This paper gives an overview of the economic rationale for limited entry as a method of fishery management and discusses general advantages and disadvantages of license limitation and catch rights as the two primary methods of restricting access to marine fisheries. Traditional open-access methods of regulation (e.g., gear restrictions, size limits, trip limits, quotas, and closures) can be temporarily effective in protecting fish populations, but they generally fail to provide lasting biological or economic benefits to fishermen because they do not restrict access to the fishery. The general result of regulation with unrestricted access to a fishery is additional and more costly and complex regulations as competition increases for dwindling fishery resources. Regulation that restricts access to a fishery in conjunction with selected traditional methods of regulation would encourage efficient resource usage and minimize the need for future regulatory adjustments, provided that enforcement and monitoring costs are not too great. In theory, catch rights are superior to license limitation as a means of restricting access to a fishery.